When the recent deal for Disney to buy and absorb 20th Century Fox (amongst other things) was officially closed this year, there were a few questions remaining. Many were focused on the fact that the Fox-owned X-Men and Fantastic Four characters were returning to Marvel Studios.
Yet aside from these characters spreading into the MCU, there were other properties that left up in the air. Disney executives later confirmed at CinemaCon that various franchises would continue to be in the works, according to Empire - just now under their control.
"You'll be seeing more of Deadpool in the years to come," chairman of Walt Disney Studios Alan Horn said. In addition to this, they stressed that the likes of Kingsman and Planet of the Apes would continue too.
Watch the trailer for Prometheus:They also confirmed that there would be more movies in the Alien franchise too, but it remained unclear what exactly we'd be getting. The last entry was Alien: Covenant, which saw original Alien director Ridley Scott returning once more. The sci-fi horror he made received a mixed response from fans and critics.
It also had Michael Fassbender teaching Michael Fassbender to play the flute. Make of that what you will.
Many assumed there would be another prequel on the way at some point, given that Scott had started the prequel ball rolling with Prometheus. Now we have a confirmation that one is going ahead. According to Variety, the next movie is in the script phase, with Scott still on board to direct.
Last we heard, the movie was set to be called Alien: Awakening. This prequel sequel would see the series edge even closer to the origins of the franchise - if leaked details from John Logan's script are to be believed.
Here's the trailer for Alien: Covenant
"Logan's script would have seen the return of Prometheus' Engineers, with that species' survivors coming after the genocidal David," Empire Magazine claimed. "Setting-wise, [Sir Ridley] Scott said it was obvious, 'We're gonna actually go to the planet', by which we assume he means LV-426."
This year has marked the 40th anniversary of the very first Alien movie, which makes it the perfect time to drop an official tease that a new movie is on the way. But we'll have to wait and see.